BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) – Environmental and community groups have sued a California county after the prime oil-drilling region approved a plan to fast-track thousands of new wells. The Kern County Board of Supervisors on Monday approved a revised ordinance that could lead to approval of more than 40,000 new oil and gas wells over roughly…… MORE
OS ANGELES (AP) – California officials are looking ahead to being able to phase out restrictions on activities because of the coronavirus as infection rates slow and more people are vaccinated. Gov. Gavin Newsom says the state is developing a “green tier” in its reopening plan that would allow fewer restrictions, something officials said this…… MORE
LOS ANGELES (AP) – A murder suspect was mistakenly released from custody in Southern California and remained at large Wednesday as prosecutors and two law enforcement agencies tried to deflect blame for the error. Steven Manzo was charged with fatally shooting a man in Long Beach in 2018. Manzo was arrested a year ago and…… MORE
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Two U.S. Postal Service employees have been charged with abusing their positions to purchase postal money orders with thousands of dollars in California unemployment benefits obtained through false claims of pandemic-related job losses. The Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s Office says the two were arrested Wednesday. A criminal complaint alleges conspiracy, aggravated…… MORE
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – San Francisco Police say they are investigating an attack on an Uber driver who was assaulted by a woman who refused to wear a mask. The driver, an immigrant form Nepal, says the attack captured on a now-viral video was racially motivated. The woman was with two other women wearing masks…… MORE
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration says the massive new federal coronavirus relief bill will pump more than $150 billion into the state’s economy. Nearly half of that money will go to Californians directly in the form of $1,400 checks and expanded unemployment benefits. Another $26 billion will go to the state…… MORE
FRESNO, CA (KMJ) — A man was arrested on Friday following a month-long human trafficking investigation. It started February 1 when the Fresno Police Department was called to Belmont Ave. and Broadway St. to check the welfare of a 28-year-old woman. Police believed the woman may be a victim of human trafficking. The Fresno Police…… MORE
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom painted a positive picture of the state’s pandemic response during his State of the State address. But some of his statements Tuesday night lacked key context or twisted the facts. He called California’s death rate one of the lowest per capita in the nation, but data from…… MORE
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) – Civil liberties activists are suing a company that provides facial recognition services to law enforcement agencies and private companies around the world, contending that Clearview AI illegally stockpiled data on 3 billion people without their knowledge or permission. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Alameda County Superior Court, seeks a court order…… MORE
LOS ANGELES (AP) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom urged an exhausted state to dream of brighter days ahead during his annual State of the State address. Newsom spoke Tuesday evening from an empty Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, surrounded by 56,000 seats representing roughly the number of people who have died during the pandemic. Newsom…… MORE
